Avoiding distraction and visual exposure

Recommendation 10

Chapter (theme)
Garden / outside area (demarcation)

Because of
stereotypical interests, weak powers of imagination, social and communication limitations

In order to
help create a familiar and safe learning environment.

Elaboration
Classroom windows with a view on the outside can – depending on what is to be seen – be very distracting. Even nature and certainly traffic can elicit a fascination which makes it impossible to concentrate on school matters.

Besides, the idea that others can look in from the outside is often experienced as unsafe.

In order to avoid both distractions and visual exposure the lower frame of the outside windows should not be lower than around 3 feet.
In existing schools the same aim can be reached by taping windows or fitting them with ground glass to these heights.

It is interestng to note the disturbed perception around windows from which some on the spectrum suffer, although these don’t call for specific measures. It regularly happens that one sees the other person through a window but cannot imagine to being observed vice versa. In such instances, of course, the problem of undue exposure doesn’t occur.